I have 104K in a mutual fund with USAA...I am interested in getting it to grow and am just learning and reading The Motley Fool Workbook!I would like some ideas?I am 54 years of age and need this to increase somewhat aggressively for retirement.

A few questions; is this the extent of your investments, or is this a portion of your entire portfolio? What type of mutual fund is this money in (ie: what asset class, what benchmark, or index, is it compared with)?

I am interested in getting it to grow and am just learning and reading The Motley Fool Workbook!I would like some ideas

Well, there are ideas all throughout this site and the workbook as well. More questions; is this a taxable account? Are you planning on leaving this account with USAA, or to move it elsewhere with another custodian? Do you want to stay with mutual funds, or move to stocks, or a combination of both? Alot needs to be determined before you move your money out of your current investment.

I am 54 years of age and need this to increase somewhat aggressively for retirement.

Moving to more aggressive investments means an increased likelihood that you may lose money over a period of time. Will you be able to handle market swings similar to what the NASDAQ is experiencing right now? I'm only estimating, but at 1850 or so, it's a far cry from its high of 5300 or so of last year. Moving to more aggressive investments not only means the possibility of greater returns, but also the chance you could lose more as well. At what age are you planning to retire?

Supply us with some of these answers and we'll try to be helpful. In the mean time, you may want to check the Fool's School for some of the strategies frequently discussed here on the Fool, see:

<<I have 104K in a mutual fund with USAA...I am interested in getting it to grow and am just learning and reading The Motley Fool Workbook!I would like some ideas?I am 54 years of age and need this to increase somewhat aggressively for retirement.>>

I'm in a similar situation, sort of. I'm thinking about opening an IRA through USAA, and would like to see it grow to 104K. I also am very interested in an aggressive investment strategy. However, I'm only 20. In your opinion, does USAA offer a good variety of aggressive mutual funds? Should I trust USAA with my IRA, or go to another company with more choices for IRA investments? Any other advice for me?

18 months ago, the best "aggressive" strategy seemed to be in Internet stocks. But too many people wound up in this situation:

"You have deposited $2000. Your investment is now bankrupt. Thank you for playing. Would you like to play again? If so please insert $2000."

Are you willing to face that scenario? The chance that you just picked a dud investment that will never come back, and you have to start from scratch? The knowledge that being in a bank account would have been a better move?

Being aggressive means you swing for the fences on every pitch. Not surprisingly, you strike out much more often and have a lower average.

If you're going to be aggressive, it becomes even more critical to do research and maximize the chances of success--and know when to pass something by. Do you trust a mutual fund to do that?